Hundreds were marooned by the heavy flooding, forcing them to abandon their homes and possessions and seek safety on higher grounds. This happened at a time when people were about to start harvesting their corn, especially in Southern Malawi, and the floods came and washed away the already ripen crop. It was a very traumatizing, especially when one considers the torture that the peasant farmers already go through. The intensity of floods that came this time around, by far, surpassed the ones we had in 2015.
Some of those that lost their homes have built makeshift houses, and some are still in camps. Upon hearing these reports, the heart of Brother Joseph was touched, and he immediately authorized brother Saidi (Malawi VGR office manager) to hire a truck and go out to assess the situation on the ground of our fellow believers.
After getting the reports on immediate needs from the Malawi office, Brother Joseph acted swiftly by sending funds to buy maize (corn), flour, sugar, salt, chlorine (for water purification), to be distributed to our needy brothers and sisters, and also hire a 10-ton truck to help with the relief logistics.
Despite the road network challenges, the Malawi team acted speedily. Relief items were procured and distribution started immediately. In total, we registered 198 believing families to benefit.
The first site for distribution work was at Fatima, and at the first site we had registered 95 families to receive relief aid. We found people gathered in the church, waiting for the VGR team to arrive.
We were ushered into the church, and as usual Brother Paul led in song before brother Saidi made a few remarks to the believers that gathered for the distribution. He told them, "Brother Joseph has sent me to come here and distribute relief aid to you in response to what you have gone through. He wants to express his love to you, and he is doing this following what the prophet taught us, 'We are responsible for our own.'"
From this place, we proceeded to Bangula, Nyamula, Nsanje, Matiya, and Phalombe. The Believers were overwhelmed; they were astounded, and they kept saying, "Please say, thank you to Brother Joseph and all the supporters on our behalf. We didn't expect this, we are overwhelmed, and we have been encouraged." Some were singing songs of Zion as they carried their portions home on bicycles. It was a privilege to distribute relief aid to our believers on behalf of Brother Joseph and all those who support this work.
It was a support of its own kind, and probably no relief agent has ever done it the way this has been done. It was a class of its own. The distribution work was very successful, despite, of course, encountering some challenges.
In some areas we found more believers wanting to receive relief aid than the numbers we had registered. Our friends need our prayers. They need to find means of getting food to feed themselves through to the next harvesting season next year.
The government and some aid agencies are distributing food to the affected people, but sometimes it is not getting to the intended people.
God bless you.
Malawi VGR Team